CALGARY — Over the past year, the Calgary Stampede has stepped up a community outreach initiative in an effort to build closer ties to various groups and organizations across the city — including the multicultural sector.

Because of the city’s dramatic growth over the years and the change in demographics, it demands that kind of effort and it will be an initiative beyond just this year’s centennial celebrations, said Michael Casey, president and chair of the Calgary Stampede.

“This came out of primarily a board retreat a couple of years ago where part of it was thinking about our 2012 celebration and trying to get our head around what that was and how it should look. It’s a recognition that for 100 years the Stampede, amongst a lot of other organizations in the city, have been significant in the development of the city and the growth of the city,” said Casey.

“We felt that it was ... important to reach out to the community whether it be through community associations or groups or organizations or any other type of group to find out what they knew about the Stampede and what they knew about our celebration.”

Marichu Antonio, executive director of the Ethno-Cultural Council of Calgary, said the Stampede has reached out to the council for the past two years with different events and meetings.

“One feature is a conversation around cowboy values and how this resonates to the newcomers and the immigrants,” said Antonio. “There’s a lot of discussions around do these values resonate in your own culture, in your own values and how do you interpret this? How is this similar to your beliefs?

“It’s making the Stampede more accessible to newcomers to Canada . . . The newcomers and the immigrants and the ethno-cultural communities are now serving as informal ambassadors of the Stampede in their own communities. They rave about experiences and of course it’s generating a lot of interest.”

Casey said this year’s community outreach initiative began with a meeting with the leaders of about 60 different organizations last June at Stampede Park.

“I have gone, together with a couple of people here at Stampede on our staff, to meet with these groups. We’re working our way through that long list of people and organizations,” said Casey. “We’ve probably met with over 20 now where we’ve gone to their locations and we’ve talked about what Stampede is doing but more importantly what do they do and how can we work together.”

Casey said the Stampede has spent time with ethnic and cultural organizations, as well as business and community associations, and youth groups.

The Calgary Stampede 100-Day Kick-Off event takes place Thursday at the Olympic Plaza between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Festivities will feature major announcements including the 2012 Calgary Stampede Centennial Parade Marshal and the release of a Calgary-wide Stampede celebration. Country music legend Paul Brandt will also be performing live at the Thursday event.

Habib Kurwa said the Ismaili Muslim community in Calgary has had a float in the parade for the past 26 years and it has hosted a Stampede breakfast for the past 15 years.

“The view of the community has always been we are proud and happy to be part of Calgary and this great occasion to celebrate some of those historical values,” said Kurwa.

“The values of the pioneers that kind of are at the root of the heritage of the Stampede are shared by communities that have come into Calgary and have established themselves because they also come with family values, with pioneering in an area where they’re new. And with celebrating that by bringing people together. For us, it’s also an opportunity for us to share our community.”

Casey said if the Stampede can help new immigrants and new people to the city understand its western heritage and values and vice versa “I think it just makes our community stronger.”

“That’s really what we’re doing. It’s exciting. I must say you learn a great deal about your city. It’s been a fascinating experience for me,” said Casey. “It’s about reaching out and encouraging people to think as to how we can make Calgary a better place.”

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